Standard Chartered Faces Complaint for Financing Philippine Coal Plants

(BNN Breaking News, Hong Kong, 29 February 2024) Environmental and human rights organizations have taken a stand against Standard Chartered, filing a complaint with Britain's National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct (NCP) over the bank's financial involvement in four coal-fired power plants in the Philippines. These groups, including the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, Inclusive Development International (IDI), Recourse, and BankTrack, assert that the bank's actions have led to detrimental impacts on local communities, including forced evictions, loss of livelihood, and health issues due to pollution. The complaint, lodged with NCP accuses Standard Chartered of failing to perform due diligence that could have prevented the adverse effects experienced by the communities surrounding the coal plants. The NCP, while lacking the authority to enforce action or compensation from Standard Chartered, plays a crucial role in investigating breaches of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. Despite the limitations of the NCP's powers, the UK's export credit agency UKEF has indicated that findings from such investigations will influence future decisions on supporting companies and banks involved in financing controversial projects.